Advances in radiation therapy for head and neck cancer.

This review of 1994 reports regarding head and neck cancer radiotherapy emphasizes laboratory and clinical research concerning the subject of tumor proliferation kinetics and altered fractionation schedules. Current knowledge regarding the importance of overall treatment time in curative head and neck radiotherapy is reviewed, as are several of the active phase III fractionation trials worldwide. Selected studies regarding head and neck cancer brachytherapy, hypoxic radiosensitization, three-dimensional treatment planning, new diagnostic imaging applications, charged particle irradiation, late tissue effects, and the influence of smoking on radiotherapy treatment results are described. Recent reports that describe organ preservation with radiotherapy alone and that introduce quality of life and outcomes research pertaining to head and neck cancer are also identified.